Cecil official wants Montour Trail extension to Southpointe

Frank Ludwin of Cecil Township talks about the additions to the Montour trail during the Washington County Commissioners meeting Thursday. - Jim McNutt / Observer-Reporter
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Montour Trail volunteer and Cecil Township supervisor Frank Ludwin hopes to raise money to extend the hiking and biking path into Southpointe at Klinger Road, and he brought his plans to the Washington County commissioners Thursday.

Cecil Friends of the Montour Trail would like to see a spur to Southpointe as part of the rails-to-trails conversion extending 46 miles from Moon Township near Coraopolis to Clairton.

Cecil and the Washington County Authority, developer of Southpointe II, would link Southpointe to the trail and adjacent Klinger Park, which now boasts its first soccer field. Half of the trail would run through Cecil Park, and the other half through The Reserve at Southpointe, a 350-unit apartment complex.

The project began three years ago after Cecil Township bought a piece of land totaling 26 acres. Immediately, Ludwin said he thought about extending the trail into Klinger Park.

He now hopes to raise more money for the trail extension. “(We) need money for material and equipment,” he said at the meeting. Montour Trail volunteers are seeking grants and donations instead of tax dollars.

Ludwin said the cost of the trail extension will be $85,000.

Washington County Authority was the first group to donate to the project to the tune of $20,000, according to Ludwin. Ludwin also plans to meet with people in Southpointe to ask for donations.

Commission Chairman Larry Maggi expects the project to be a success. “He (Ludwin) knows how the process works,” Maggi said. “Frank’s just a good guy and likes to get things done. We know what they want to do, and we think it’s a great idea. These guys are volunteers and they make things happen.”